The Secret World of Arrietty is a wonderful new family film from the legendary Japanese Studio Ghibli (the masterminds who brought us Ponyo and Spirited Away) that follows one tiny family on an extraordinary adventure in the over-sized world they inhabit. Disney produced the English version of this movie and in many ways it feels like a good match. Although Arrietty stands in stark contrast to the in-your-face 3-D CGI blockbusters Disney has been churning out for the past decade or so – it is more liken in style to the earlier Disney features like Snow White, or even animated movies as recent as the Little Mermaid. The animation is top notch and completely hand crafted, from the lush painted backgrounds to the characters subtle facial expressions; every detail has been given the animator's total loving care.
I should probably state right off the bat that I am a longtime fan of Studio Ghibli and co-founder Hayao Miyazaki's work – in case you hadn’t guessed it already. Miyazaki took a screen writers credit on this one however, while his protégé and collaborator Yonebayashi helmed at the director's seat. This being his directorial debut, Yonebayashi does not disappoint.
This adaptation of Mary Norton’s “The Borrowers” is a subdued take on the classic, and probably the most easily accessible film for western audiences from Ghibli. Although the film is set in Japan, nothing about the story really comes across as exclusively Japanese. The characters all appear Caucasian and even the one of the main characters is a boy named Shaun.
As the movie opens we follow this young boy, Shaun Bean, down a winding country road on his way to spend some time at his Auntie Bean's house. Here we enter Arrietty’s world, a warm and lush backyard garden set deep in the countryside hills of Japan. The screen is awash in the colors of summer – greenery and wild flowers practically jump out at you so that you can almost smell them. Stepping into the Theater from a brisk and windy Sunday afternoon, these first gorgeous frames warmed me like rays of sunshine.
Arrietty, our heroin, is a spunky 14-year-old girl who lives with her mother and father under the floor boards of this peaceful cottage… oh, have I mentioned that they are only two inches tall? This is an important detail for any of you who are not familiar with the story.
Everything in her world is magnified for us, from the textures of individual threads in linen that she walks across, to the beads of water she knocks off her shoal after she gets caught in the rain. This movie is full of clever visual tricks that are used to help us believe in her tiny world. I particularly liked the single droplet of tea that bulges from the spout of a doll house sized tea pot then completely fills her father’s cup.
But it’s the sounds we hear that I believe keep us fully immersed in her microscopic realm. A thin thread used by her father to repel down the face of a chest of drawers sounds like a heavy-gauge rope slipping through large hard hands. And a single wall clock ticking away in a dark kitchen at night, to Arrietty, echoes loud and distant as she enters this strange and gigantic new territory.
Arrietty's story begins as she heads out with her father on their first borrowing mission together up into the Bean household. We see her as a young and energetic girl with an insatiable curiosity about her world, respect for her parents, and an apparent fascination with her father, who is teaching her how to borrow what they need from the Bean family.
As the movie progressed I found myself enchanted not only by Arrietty’s indomitable spirit, but also her close relationship with nature. In one scene she is lazily playing with a pill beetle like it’s a ball as she daydreams. In another scene a ladybug pauses to take notice of her as they pass each other silently in the dark.
There is some action in the movie, as it takes stealth, strength and cunning to maneuver through such a disproportionate landscape, but it never feels brash, or “cartoony”. These Japanese animators use masterful technique and dynamic perspective shots to make the action feel tense and suspenseful and ultimately totally engrossing.
There is plenty here for the adults who will inevitably be accompanying their children to the theater. Like the mother's comedic excitement and bewilderment at the prospect of (forcefully) receiving a new kitchen, or the worry we can read in her father’s face as he struggles to provide for his family. The small details that remind us how small Arrietty’s world actually is are everywhere and a treat to pick out, as some of them are more obscure than others. Also the animation is fluid and sophisticated, and will surely remind some adults of a more genuine era of animated features.
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett Voice Arrietty’s parents and Carol Burnett is the voice of the meddling nanny who tries to have Arrietty’s family exterminated like mice. I think these roles were cast perfectly, as the familiar voices help to anchor us to their characters and the actor’s impeccable comedic timing help to keep the mood light when it could easily have been bogged down at times.
The Secret World of Arrietty is a must see in my opinion for parents looking to get out of the house and spend some quality time with their kids, and anyone who fancies themselves fans of animation, (Disney or otherwise). Parents can consider taking their children to this film without having to worry about the protagonist having questionable ethics or having to explain any nonsensical mischief. The theater was packed with many little kids and their parents when I saw this, but at one point I had to look back over my shoulder just to be sure they were all still there because they had been so quiet for so long. This movie was able to silently captivate a roomful of hyperactive children and their parents for nearly two hours, only to break the silence now and then when young and old alike let out with hearty belly laughs. Arrietty is a thoroughly charming movie and a true work of art to behold.
*Photo from Wired.
